Air Quality Alert

Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when published

0:00

-12:22

Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when published

the tree of heaven is an invasive species
it wants to know where you’ve been all night
how to tell when you mean what you’re saying
you tell it what you think it should know
haze of wildfires miles away softens the rest
it wears the scent of panic deferred
it’s where the moon meets your pointing finger
the tree of heaven is the smile of salesmen
it promises days off beneath a crackling blue sky
knows how hard you’ve been working, your strained sleep
it offers to pray with you for forgiveness
both of you might be going to hell
but at least the tree of heaven knows how to keep its cool
the night the kudzu takes your field you sleep like the dead